Bank protection device



May 24, 1932 .1. c. TAYLoR ET A1.

BANK PROTECTION DEVICE Filed Dec. 29. 1950 Patented May Z4, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE JACOB C. TAYLOR AND MAURICE A. TAYLOR, OF PLEASANTVILLE, IOWA :BANKr PROTECTION DEVICE Application led December 29, 1930. Serial No. 505,451.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for protecting banks and bank employees from the activities of robbers, particularly during daylight hours.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved protection devices for banks and the like, whereby shields are suspended in front of the bank cages and means is provided whereby these shields may be 1Q caused to drop and cover the fronts of the cages and protect the occupants and contents of the cages.

Still another object of the invention is to provide electrically operated means for disll placing protective shields and permitting them to drop by gravity to desired locations for guarding and shielding property and persons against Vthe depredations of robbers or other evil intentioned persons.

Another and further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the dropping of the shields may be utilized for the sounding of an alarm.

Still another and further object of the inu vention is to provide means for preventing injury to persons or objects through the dropping of the shields.

With these and other objects in view our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of our device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a horizontal sectional elevation illustrating an installation of our improved protective devices with respect to three compartments or cagesof a banking institution.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 2-2of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional elevation on the line 3 3 of Figure 2, portions being broken away to economize space.

Figure 4 is a diagram of thc electrical connections employed.

This invention relates to means whereby heavy, opaque, bulleteproof shields may be caused to instantly drop across and in front "5 of the several compartments or cages of or cages. These separate shields may be so v arranged and connected that the operation of one will cause the operation of all in the series. When so arranged there would be one particular shield, preferably centrally located in the system, which would effect the operation of the other shields associated therewith.

In the drawings there is illustrated a protective arrangement for a group or series com posed of three compartments or cages which are designated generally by the characters A, B and C. The compartment A is the one which is provided with the master shield and it is located between the compartments B and C. j

Each of the cages or compartments is constructed substantially in the usual manner and is composed of an outer wall l0, rear walls 12 and partition members 14. Each compartment includes a shelf 16 in its forward part located behind a grillv 18 in the front wall, said grill being formed in the usual manner with a lower opening 2O just above the shelf to permit the passage of books, papers and money. j

The central compartment A is provided with a rmaster shield 22 and each of the other compartments in the series is provided with a coacting shield 24. The shields 22 and 24 preferably are made of heavy, opaque, bulletproof material such as boiler iron or the like. Each shield may be of the required dimen` sions to cover the desired spaces or portions of the compartments. As here shown, the main or master shield 22 is of suiiicient length to cover the front of the compartment A and one side of the compartment B, while each of the other shields 24 is of suiiicient length to cover the exposed front of one of the compartments B or C, each of which in this instance fronts in a direct-ion at right angles to the front o't' the main compartment A.

The shields 22 and 24 normally are suspended behind the front walls l0 ol the respective cages and at a suitable elevation so that they will not interfere with the normal activities. They are so arranged that they may be instantly caused to fall by gravit y across the front ot the cages and are of sui'- licient width in vertical dimension that they j will aiiford ample protection to the occupants et the cages.

Each orf the shields 22 and 24 is formed on its upper margin with a plurality of suspending lugs 26 and each lug is designed to engage a member carried by the upper part of the front wall 10 of the compartment.

As here shown, each suspending lug 26 is connected in offset or parallel spaced rela.- tion to the upper margin of the shield on which it is formed so that it may engage above a projection carried by the wall. The supporting projection may be in the nature ot' a pin or bolt 28 preferably having a roller 30 rotatably mounted thereon.

The main or master shield 22 is formed on its rear face with a displacing lug 32 which is located adjacent to the shaft 34 ot an electric motor 36. The motor 36 may be suitably supported as by a bracket 38 which may be carried b v one of the partition walls 14 or by any other suitable structural element.

Fixed to the motor shaft 34 is a cam 40 which is in line with the displacing lug` 32 of the master shield and is adapted to engage said lug when the motor is operated. rlhis engagement causes the lug 32 to be moved laterally, thus moving the shield 22 in such direction and to such extent that the supporting lugs 26 thereot will be displaced from the supports carried by the wall 10. lVhen thisl occurs the shield 22 will drop by gravity across the front of the compartment A, its lower edge then resting on the shelf 16 of said compartment.

The main or master shield 22 also is provided at its ends with cam members 42` cach of which is designed to engage the end portion of one of the shields 24 as the main shield 22 is moved longitudinally by the cam 40. As here shown. one of the cams 42 is mounted on the rear or inner face of the m aster shield 22 for engagement with the shield 24 of the compartment B. while another crm 42 is mounted on the front or outer tace ot the master shield for engagement with the end ot the shield 24 of the compartment C.

It will thus be understood that the slight longitudinal movement of the master shield 22 which permits it to be displaced from its supports will also. through the agency ot the cams 42, cause a slight longitudinal movement of each of the associated shields 24. whereby the shields 24 are caused to move longitudinally for displacing` them from their supports and permitting them to tall.

It will be understood that any suitable arrangement ot' the master shield and associated shields may be employed, and that the associated shields may be arranged in series whereby an additional number of compartments may be protected and the displacement ot the master shield will result in a displacement ot' all ot the associated shields.

The motor 36 is in a main circuit a which is supplied by lead wires 44 and 46 from any suitable source of electrical energy. The main circuit a of course operates with respect to the master shield 22 in the compartment A and we have provided a plurality of' parallel circuits Z) and c which are in series with the main circuit and which are arranged to operate with respect to the associated compartments B and C respectively.

Each of the circuits a, Z) and c includes a normally open switch 48 so that when either of these switches is closed the motor 36 will be caused to operate for displacing the master shield and with it the associated shields. The switches 48 may be located on the floor within the respective cages so that they may be operated by foot pressure of an occupant of the cage without attracting any particular attention.

In some instances it may be desirable to connect up the protective devices with an alarm device, whereby an alarm will be alitomatically sounded upon displacement of the shields. For this purpose we show in Figure 4 an auxiliary circuit 50 connected withthe main circuit a and having therein an alarm device such as a bell 52 which may be placed at any suitable location, either inside or outside of the institution equipped with the protective devices.

The auxiliary or alarm circuit 50 includes a normally open switch 54 which is located on a shelf 16 immediately beneath one of the shields such as 22. When the shield 22 is displaced and drops by gravity it closes the alarm circuit 50 and causes the alarm 52 to be actuated.

Suitable vertical guides 56 may be provided for the shields 22 and 24. These guides may be part of the structural 'framework ot the various compartments. The guides 56, or some of them, may also be employed for covering the spaces which are necessarily left at the ends of the shields because ofthe necessity of providing for longitudinal movement of the shields to secure their displacement from the supports 26-28. The shields 22 and 24 prefer( bly are provided at their lower margins with cutout notches 58 which are arranged to substantially coincide with the openings 2O through the grille work. It is the purpose of the cutout notches 58 to prevent actual contact ot the shields with oljects which may be resting on the shelves 16 at or close to the openings 20. It will be apparentthat if one of the shields in its descent should strike the hand of a customer or employee of the institution it might cause considerable injury.

The cutout notches 58 may be screened by hoods 60 hinged to the respective shields. The hoods preferably flare inwardly away from the shields and are capable of upward swinging movement in case they encounter an object resting on one o't the shelves as indicated by the dotted showing in Figure 2. The hoods 60 normally substantially cover and enclose the cutout notches 58 and they preferably are of lighter material than that from which the shields are made.

It is obvious that our invention provides a simple and effective means for covering and protect-ing the front walls of cages or compartments and thus protecting the occupants and contents of the cages from robbers. The shields are capable of being immediately dropped to operative position upon any sign of disturbance outside of the compartments and when so dropped they afford eX- eellent protection for the interior of the cages and will, in most instances, be eiiective in frustrating the eiforts of the bandits. It will be noted that the circuit may be closed from any one of the compartments and that` this may be done by very unobtrusive and unnoticeable action, such as stepping on one of the switches 48 with the foot, which action may be accomplished by an employee even though he has been compelled to raise his arms at the command of a bandit. When the circuit is closed, it requires only a partial revolution of the motor shaft 34 to cause the cam 40 to displace the master shield 22 and to permit it to fall and the displacement and descent of the associated shields 24 is practically simultaneous therewith.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of our device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our purpose to cover by our claims, any modified forms of structure of use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

le claim as our invention 1. Bank protection devices, comprisinga shield of heavy, opaque material, means for supporting said shield above a customer spa-ce of a bank or like institution, and means for displacing said shield and permitting it to fall across said space, said last means including a motor normally in open circuit, a switch for closing said circuit, and a member connected with said motor for moving said shield away trom its supporting means.

2. Bank protection devices, comprising a shield of heavy, opaque material, mea-ns for supporting said shield above a customer space of a bank or like institution, means for displacing said shield and permitting it to fall across said space, said last means including a motor normally in open circuit, a switch for closing said circuit, a part projecting from said shield, and a cam device operated by said motor for engaging said projecting part and pushing the shield from its supporting means.

3. Bank protection devices, comprising a plurality of shields of heavy material, means 'for supporting said shields in series including projecting supports and lugs on the shields tor engaging over said supports, a projecting part on one of said shields, means for engaging said projecting part for laterally moving said shield suiiieiently that its lugs will bey disengaged from their supports, and means on said irst mentioned shield for engaging other shields of the series whereby they will be displaced from their supports, thereby permitting all of the shields in the series to fall substantially simultaneously for screening objects behind them.

4. Bank protection devices, comprising a plurality of shields of heavy material, means for supporting said shields in series including projecting supports and lugs on the shields for engaging over said supports, a projecting part on one of said shields, a motor-driven, switch-controlled cam device for engaging said projecting part for moving said shield sufliciently that its lugs will be disengaged from their supports, and means on said first mentioned shield for engaging the other shields of the series whereby they will be displaced from their supports, thereby permitting all of the shields in the series to fall substantially simultaneously for screening objects behind them.

Executed at Pleasantville, in the county oi Marion and State of Iowa, this 23d day of December, 1930.

MAURICE A. TAYLOR. JACOB O. TAYLOR. 

